How sweet it is! 'Gingerbread' gala helps epilepsy fight

The Epilepsy Foundation's Gingerbread City gala on Dec. 1 at The Grand Del Mar was a sweet success, raising more than $200,000 for programs and services in San Diego County.

Chair Sally B. Thornton and honorary chair Andrew S. Clark, chief executive officer and founder of Bridgepoint Education (title sponsor of the event), said they were wowed by the spectacular structures this year that took hundreds of hours to build.

The competition theme was "The Greatest Stories Ever Told," and gingerbread creations were based on the favorite fairy tales of the artists. The winning entry, Maria and Michael Webster's "Cinderella," brought the story to life with detailed figures made entirely of edible materials, including the Prince, Cinderella and even the horse-drawn carriage.